2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final Preview
The Stanley Cup Final gets underway Tuesday night at Lenovo Arena (ABC and Sportsnet), and for those of you in the Vegas area, you need to make your way to the Circa Resort and Casino for a watch party at Stadium Swim. The event is open to the public and is free to guests and anyone wearing Golden Knights apparel. The Hurricanes are currently a (-155) favorite, and the Golden Knights are a (+130) underdog.
The Canes enter the Stanley Cup Final as the first team since the NHL went to the four best-of-seven series format to have one or fewer losses through the first three playoff rounds. Carolina isn’t just beating teams; they are sucking the life out of the opposition, having given up two goals or less in 12 of their 13 playoff games. The 89 shots on goal they surrendered to the Canadiens are the fewest in NHL history for a series that lasted five games.
The Golden Knights are playing their best hockey of the season since the day John Tortorella took over behind the bench from the fired Bruce Cassidy. Vegas has won 19 of 24 games with Tortorella, and in their three clinching playoff games, they have outscored their opponents, 12-3, surrendering one goal in each of the three games.
Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev are tied for the most goals in the 2026 playoffs (10 each) and tied for the most high-danger goals (six each; tied with Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens), while Mitch Marner is tied for fourth in high-danger goals (five). Brett Howden of the Golden Knights and Logan Stankoven of the Hurricanes are tied for the most even-strength goals (seven each), while Carolina forward Taylor Hall quietly leads the entire postseason in even-strength points (14).
The Canes are still waiting for their top line, Sebastian Aho (four goals, three assists), Andrei Svechnikov (three goals, four assists) and Seth Jarvis (three goals, five assists), to take control of a series in the playoffs. The Golden Knights’ top line of Jack Eichel (two goals, 16 assists), Pavel Dorofeyev (10 goals, four assists) and Ivan Barbashev (five goals, seven assists) have combined for 17 goals and 44 points.
Vegas netminder, Carter Hart, ranks second in the playoffs in overall save percentage (.924; behind Andersen’s .931) and leads NHL goalies who advanced past the first round in high danger save percentage (.873 in 16 games), while Andersen ranks fourth on that list (.857 in 13 games).
As it should be, both teams will be facing their toughest opponent of the playoffs, and I am expecting a minimum six-game series. With that, instead of playing the Over 5.5 games (-195) prop, I will target both teams to win in six and seven games at “plus money”. On Sunday, I outlined my best bets for the Conn Smythe Trophy. One player I left off that list was the Hurricanes’ Taylor Hall. Canes goalie Freddie Andersen is the shortest shot on the board among Carolina players, and he would be my leading candidate if the Hurricanes are to hoist the Stanley Cup. Further down the board is Taylor Hall (+550), who leads the team in scoring (16 points). If Hall were to lead the series in points, he could easily earn the Conn Smythe Trophy and at (+2500) to have the most points, which presents far better value than to wager on him to win playoff MVP.
When it comes to shots on goal, Logan Stankoven’s 46 shots on goal lead all players heading into the Cup Final (best odds at DraftKings). The Golden Knights’ Pavel Dorofeyev has 42 shots on goal (best odds at Bet365), and Mitch Marner is not far behind with 39 shots that have hit the target (best odds at Bet365). Finally, Caesar’s Sportsbook is offering total goals in the series at 31.5 (Over, -130). I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, but with my belief that this series is going to at least six games, it’s hard not to play the total goals Over.
NHL Best Best Bets:
Carolina Hurricanes to win in 6 games (+430) – ½ unit
Carolina Hurricanes to win in 7 games (+400) – ½ unit
Vegas Golden Knights to win in 6 games (+525) – ½ unit
Vegas Golden Knights to win in 7 games (+575) – ½ unit
Taylor Hall to lead the series in points (+2500) – .10 units
Brett Howden to lead the series in goals (+2000) – .10 units
Tomas Hertl to lead the series in points (+2200) – .10 units
Jack Eichel to lead the series in points (+300) – ¼ unit
Logan Stankoven most shots on goal (+1600) – ¼ unit
Pavel Dorofeyev most shots on goal (+750) – ¼ unit
Mitch Marner most shots on goal (+3500) – ¼ unit
